Jump Financial LLC Buys Shares of 12,969 Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC)

Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Balchem Co. (NASDAQ:BCPC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 12,969 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $2,114,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Balchem by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 2,229 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $391,000 after buying an additional 295 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its holdings in Balchem by 26.2% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 11,893 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,093,000 after purchasing an additional 2,467 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Balchem by 405.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 60,777 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $10,695,000 after purchasing an additional 48,762 shares during the period. Westside Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Balchem in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Balchem in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. 87.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Balchem Trading Down 5.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:BCPC traded down $8.07 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $150.25. The company's stock had a trading volume of 90,869 shares, compared to its average volume of 131,183. Balchem Co. has a fifty-two week low of $137.69 and a fifty-two week high of $186.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.17, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.75. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $164.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $167.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.99.

Balchem (NASDAQ:BCPC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The basic materials company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.10. Balchem had a return on equity of 11.37% and a net margin of 13.47%. As a group, analysts forecast that Balchem Co. will post 4.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on BCPC shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Balchem from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Sidoti raised Balchem to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of Balchem in a report on Monday, February 24th.

Balchem Company Profile

Balchem Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets specialty performance ingredients and products for the nutritional, food, pharmaceutical, animal health, medical device sterilization, plant nutrition, and industrial markets worldwide. It operates through three segments: Human Nutrition and Health, Animal Nutrition and Health, and Specialty Products.